New video: Every Justin Blackmon TD at Oklahoma State
Fade route God.
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Whenever Oklahoma State got the ball inside their opponents' 15-yard line from 2010-2011, everyone in the stadium –and watching on TV– knew what they were about to see. On at least one play, the Cowboys were going to do everything they could to get WR Justin Blackmon the ball, preferably on a fade route to the right corner of the endzone. It didn't matter that opponents knew it was coming, either. There was nothing they could do to stop it.
Of Blackmon's 42 career touchdowns, 20 (47%) were 15 yards or less. Of those 20, 16 were either inside the ten, or in goal-to-go situations. Most importantly, 13 of them were on pure fade routes. Comically, every single one of them was on the right side of the field. Blackmon's ability to position his body, track the ball, then come down with it was otherworldly by itself. Mix that with the chemistry he had with QB Brandon Weeden? You had the perfect recipe for a nearly unstoppable play.
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I don't think it's ridiculous to say that Blackmon is the most dangerous fade route receiver in college football history. More so than Calvin Johnson, Larry Fitzgerald, Randy Moss, or any of the other greats you can think of who could go up and get it. Just like those guys, being a jump-ball specialist was merely just one weapon in his vast arsenal.
Blackmon was one of the most dangerous big-play receivers of his era. He led the nation in receiving yards (1782) and touchdowns (20) in 2010 with a sparkling 16.1 yards per catch average. He's one of only two players to win the Biletnikoff Award twice (Texas Tech's Michael Crabtree). He ran crisp routes, while being able to out-run, out-jump, and out-muscle any defenders he went up against. Justin Blackmon at Oklahoma State was about as perfect a receiver as could be, and it's still jaw-dropping to watch some of the plays he made 15 years later. Enjoy the video:
